Sliding shelf



July 17, 1956 CARBARY SLIDING SHELF Filed Feb. 19, 1954 Inve nto r: .9Richard J. Carbarg His Attorney.

SLIDING SHELF Richard J. Carbary, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to GeneralElectric Company, a corporation of New York Application February 19,1954, Serial No. 411,462

Claims. (Cl. 312-338) My invention relates to sliding shelves and moreparticularly to sliding shelf arrangements adapted for use inrefrigerator cabinets or the like.

One of the most common instances of sliding shelf arrangements are thosevertically spaced shelves ordinarily provided in household refrigeratingapparatus. Sliding shelves are, of course, needed there in order toprovide easy access to food stuffs stored in the rear portion of therefrigerated cabinet. With those shelves heretofore available, however,a problem has been presented by the variations in the spacing of thecabinet side walls which quite often occur in mass production. Since theshelves have been supported by studs mounted on the cabinet walls, thevariation in spacing of the walls has often resulted in binding of theshelves against the studs so as to interfere with their slidingmovement. Although this binding can be alleviated by hand bending of theside walls, by changing the mounting of the studs, or by other suitablemeans, nonetheless such is an expensive procedure where a massproduction item is involved.

Accordingly it is a primary object of my invention to provide within arefrigerator cabinet a new and improved sliding shelf arrangementincluding means allowing for variation in the spacing of the cabinetwalls.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improvedsliding shelf arrangement in which the self rests on but is not attachedto the sliding means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a sliding shelfarrangement for refrigerator cabinets which is less expensive tofabricate and assemble than those arrangements heretofore available.

In carrying my invention into effect, I provide a refrigerator cabinethaving a rear wall, oppositely disposed side walls, and a forward accessopening. Within this cabinet separate track or guide members areattached to each of the side walls. Slidably supported by each of thosetrack members is a movable bar which is provided with inwardly extendingprojections adjacent the ends thereof. The shelf itself is removablysupported by these projections. In order to provide for the slidingmovement thereof the shelf includes means which positively engage eachof the bars, whereby a force applied to the shelf is transmitted to thebars. The result is movement of the bars within their track members andthus sliding movement of the shelf itself into or out of the cabinet.This sliding movement will not be affected by variations in the spacingbetween the side walls since the projections on which the shelf restsallow for variations in the spacing between the opposite track membersand bars without the shelf rubbing or binding thereagainst. Preferablythe positive engagement between the shelf and bars necessary for thesliding movement is accomplished through the manner of contact betweenthe shelf and the projections.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention,however, both as to its organization and method of operation, may bebest un- States Patent 0 derstood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of a refrigeratorcabinet including a sliding shelf arrangement embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partially broken away, of apreferred embodiment of my sliding shelf arrangement; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical view in partial section illustratingthe manner in which the sliding shelf rests upon its supportingstructure.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I have illustrated therein the upper portion ofa refrigerator cabinet including an outer metal wall 1 and an innermetal wall or liner 2, the space between the walls being filled with asuitable heat-insulating material. The walls are formed to provide anaccess or door opening 3 at the front of the cabinet, and the spacebetween the walls in the area of the door frame is closed by a breakerstrip 4 of suitable heat insulating material. The liner 2 forms the foodstorage compartment of the cabinet and is shaped to provide a rear walland oppositely disposed side walls, only side wall 5 being shown. Thecompartment is refrigerated by a standard refrigerant evaporator 6 andis closed by a suitable door (not shown).

Within the compartment 2 there is mounted a sliding shelf arrangementwhich embodies my invention in one preferred form thereof. As may bebest seeen in Fig. 2 this shelf arrangement includes a pair of track orguide members 7 and 8 which are afiixed respectively to the oppositeside walls of the liner 2. Any suitable means, as for example the screws9, may be used to accomplish this mounting. Within these track or guidemembers are mounted the movable or sliding means on which the slidingshelf is supported and in order to accommodate these sliding means thetracks 7 and 8 are preferably formed, as shown, in a more or lesschannel-shaped configuration. However, it should be understood thatvarious other shapes of track members could be used.

In my preferred embodiment the sliding means accommodated by the trackmembers comprise the rod or bar members 10 and 11, the bar 10 beingreceived within track member 7 and the bar 11 within track member 8. Thefit between the bars and the track members is loose enough that the barsmay be readily slid in and out. However, to facilitate this slidingmovement I have provided bearing or glider members which space the barsand the track members somewhat from each other and greatly reducesliding friction therebetween. Thus adjacent their front endschannel-shaped gliders 12 and 13 are mounted respectively on trackmembers 7 and 8; and adjacent their rear ends plate shaped gliders 14and 15 are mounted respectively on bars 10 and 11. These gliders may beformed of any suitable material as for example nylon.

In order that they may support a shelf the bar members are each providedadjacent their ends with inwardly extending projections or tabs. Thus attheir forward ends the bars 10 and 11 are provided respectively withbentback sections 16 and 17 which terminate respectively in the inwardlyextending tabs 18 and 19. Similarly at their rear ends the bars 7 and 8are provided respectively with inwardly extending projections 20 and 21of a U or channel-shaped configuration.

In the illustrated embodiment the shelf supported from these projectionscomprises the shelf 22 formed of transverse front and rear frame members23 and 24, wires or rods 25 extending between the frame members, and areinforcing center transverse member 26. Specifically in my illustratedembodiment the front frame member 23 comprises a trim piece but itshould be understood that such a decorative member is not necessary tomy invention.

Various means could, of course, be used to support a shelf, such asshelf 22, from the projections 18 and 19 and 20 and 21 of the barmembers and 11; but in my preferred embodiment this support is providedthrough the front and rear frame members 23 and 24 of the shelf. By sousing the frame members an inexpentive, easily fabricated shelf isaccomplished. Specifically the front frame member 23 rests on the top ofthe projections 18 and 19 while the rear frame member 24 is received ininterlocking relation by the channel-shaped projections 20 and 21, asclearly shown in Fig. 3. The rear frame member 24 as shown ischannel-shaped but it should be obvious that it could have othersuitable shapes so as to be accommodated by the channel shapedprojections 20 and 21.

Although when the shelf 22 is placed in position on the bar projections,it merely rests thereon not being attached thereto in any way,nonetheless, in my preferred embodiment the above-described relationshipbetween the rear frame member 24 and the channel-shaped projections 20and 21 provides a positive engagement between the shelf and the barmembers permitting a sliding force applied to the shelf to betransmitted to the bar members.

Since the rear frame member 24 rests within the rear projections 20 and21 a horizontal force applied to the shelf and thus to member 24 will betransmitted through the upstanding sides of the projections to the bars10 and 11. Further since the bars 10 and 11 as mentioned above, slidefreely within the tracks 7 and 8, therefore a force applied to the shelf22 will result in the bars and the shelf sliding together outwardly orinwardly in the cabinet. The relation between the hearings or gliders 12and 13 mounted on the track members and the bearings or gliders 14 and15 mounted on the bars provide an outward limit for this slidingmovement. When the bars and the shelf have been pulled sufficientlyoutward, the bearings 14 and 15 move into engagement with the bearings12 and 13 and prevent any further forward movement.

As well as providing an easy friction free sliding movement and a readyremoval of the shelf from its supports, this shelving arrangement alsoprovides allowance for variation in the spacing of the liner side walls.Since the frame members or other supporting means 23 and 24 of the shelfrest on projections of the bar members 10 and 11, any variation inspacing of the side walls will be taken up by these projections. Inother words enough space is left between the ends of the frame membersand the bar members so that even if the side walls are closer togetherthan normally, the frame members or other supporting means will stillnot come into contact with the bars or the track members. In the perfectliner the frame members or other shelf supporting means lie far enoughout on the bar projections so that room is left to accommodate themwithout binding when variations in side wall spacings do occur in theproduction process.

With reference to the manner in which the shelf is sup ported on the barprojections 18 and 19 and 20 and 21, the positive engagement for slidingmovement has been described, as shown in the diagram, between the rearframe member 24 of the shelf and the rear projections 20 and 21 of thebar members. It should be obvious, however, that this positiveengagement could be provided at the front of the shelf and bar membersrather than at the rear if so desired; and in fact could be providedthrough different interlocking means than the cooperating channelshapedprojections and frame member shown. The illustrated manner has, however,been found to be effective in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

In addition to its feature of obviating the difficulty heretofore causedby variations in the spacing of the liner walls, my sliding shelfarrangement also has the advantage that a single shelf structure 22 canbe used throughout the refrigerator either as a sliding shelf or as astationary shelf where both are used, thereby effecting savings inmanufacturing costs. For sliding shelves, the structure 22 would beremovably mounted on my novel track and sliding bar construction asdescribed above, and for stationary shelves the same structure would beaffixed to plus or studs extending from the liner wall. This allows asaving in both tooling and assembly costs relative to such costs whendifferent constructions are used for the sliding and stationary shelves,as has been the case heretofore.

In accordance with the patent statutes 1 have described what at presentis considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention. However,it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changesand modifications may be made therein without departing from myinvention, and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover allsuch changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scopeof my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a refrigerator cabinet having a rear wall and oppositely disposedside walls, a sliding shelf arrangement comprising track membersattached to said side walls, movable bars slidably supported by saidtrack members, each of said bars having inwardly extending projectionsadjacent the ends thereof, at least one of said projections of each ofsaid bars being channel-shaped, and a shelf removably supported by saidprojections, said shelf including means received by said channel-shapedprojections to effect a positive engagement between said shelf and saidbars whereby sliding movement of said shelf is effected by movement ofsaid bars within said track members. each of said bars being independentof the other and being con nected together for movement only by saidshelf.

2. In a refrigerator cabinet having a rear wall and oppositely disposedside walls, a sliding shelf arrangement comprising track membersattached to said side walls, movable bars slidably supported by saidtrack members, each of said bars having inwardly extending projectionsadjacent the ends thereof, the rear of said projections on each of saidbars being channel-shaped, and a shelf removably supported by saidprojections, said shelf including a rear frame member received by saidchannel-shaped projections to effect a positive engagement between saidshelf and said bars whereby sliding movement of said shelf is effectedby movement of said bars within said track members, each of said barsbeing independent of the other and being connected together for movementonly by said shelf.

3. In a refrigerator cabinet having a rear wall and oppositely disposedside walls, a sliding shelf arrangement comprising channel-shaped trackmembers attached to said side walls, movable bars slidably received bysaid track members, each of said bars having inwardly extendingprojections adjacent the ends thereof, the rear of said projections ofeach of said bars being channel-shaped, and a shelf resting on saidprojections and removable therefrom, said shelf including a rear framemember received by said channel-shaped projections to effect a positiveengagement between said shelf and said bars whereby sliding movement ofsaid shelf is effected by movement of said bars within said trackmembers, each of said bars being independent of the other and beingconnected together for movement only by said shelf.

4. In a refrigerator cabinet having a rear wall and oppositely disposedside walls, a sliding shelf arrangement comprising track membersattached to said side walls, movable bars slidably supported by saidtrack members, each of said bars having inwardly extending projectionsadjacent the ends thereof, bearing means for facilitating the slidingmovement between said bars and the associated track members including afront bearing element attached to each of said tracks and a rear bearingelement attached to each of said bars, and a shelf removably supportedby said projections, said shelf including means positively engaging atleast one projection on each of said bars whereby sliding movement ofsaid shelf is effected through movement of said bars within said track,with said rear bearing elements contacting said front bearing elementsto limit the outward extent of said movement, each of said bars beingindependent of the other and being connected together for movement onlyby said shelf.

5. In a refrigerator cabinet having a rear wall and oppositely disposedside walls, a sliding shelf arrangement comprising track membersattached to said side walls, movable bars slidably supported by saidtrack members, each of said bars having inwardly extending projectionsadjacent the ends thereof, at least one of said projections of each ofsaid bars being channel-shaped, bearing means for facilitating thesliding movement between said bars and the associated track members,including a front bearing element attached to each of said track membersand a rear bearing element attached to each of said bars and a shelfremovably supported by said projections, said shelf including meansreceived by said channel-shaped projections to effect a positiveengagement between said shelf and said bars whereby sliding movement ofsaid shelf is effected by movement of said bars within said trackmembers, with said rear bearing elements engaging said front bearingelements to limit the outward extent of said move ment, each of saidbars being independent of the other and being connected together formovement only by said shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,132,737 Kahn Oct. 11, 1938 2,173,108 Hallock Sept. 19, 1939 2,606,091Buchy et al Aug. 5, 1952

